Free Style Lite strips?

Does anyone know if the Free Style Lite Strips would work ok in a Alpha Trak 2 meter?

I was reading the online reviews on Amazon that a lot of people buy the Free Style Lite strips and use codes 7 or 36 for the Alpha Trak 2 meter.

I found the Free Style Lite strips on the diabetic Warehouse site. The description on the box says no coding required? The price is not bad right now, only $29.99 for 50.

https://www.diabeticwarehouse.org/products/freestyle-lite-test-strips?variant=13700255809601

I have read some threads where some people say that the other strips are not as accurate as buying the correct ones. Some people say that they are able to get them to work. What do you guys think?

 

I don’t use alpha trak I’m bumping you to top
You may also want to ask on main forum

 

Why don’t you use the Freestyle Lite strips in a Freestyle meter? Both of our dosing methods were created with the idea of people using human meters, and the strips are so much cheaper. I also wouldn’t use strips made by one company in a meter made by another company. Even if they did work now, you would never know when they would stop working.

 

Yes they work; I'm using the AlphaTrak 2 and been using the Free Style Lite strips since quite awhile. Never had a problem!

 

That would have made sense to just order a Free Style Lite meter, lol. Unfortunately I just ordered a AlphaTrak 2 Meter because it was only $89 and comes with 125 strips. It would have been smarter to get the FS meter...(duh) I did order some freestyles strips to try too. Thanks for confirming that Ti-Mousse! Some other people also mentioned that the Free Style Insulinx strips work.

 

The Freestyle strips (same as Insulinx strips) and AT2 strips are still made by ABBOTT as is the AT2 meter. ABBOTT and Zoetis have always been business partners in the AT2 meter. When ABBOTT closed down their Animal Division, they sold the marketing rights back to Zoetis who now put their name on the packaging for both the meter and strips. Zoetis does NOT manufacture the AT2 glucometers or the strips for it.

The AT2 strips are in fact the same strips manufactured for the Freestyle Lite human meters. The difference is that the AT2 strips have been batch tested to determine which cat code on the AT2 meter will produce the most pet lab equivalent results. This is why there is a code on every vial of AT2 strips. There are 7 cat codes that we know of here which are 07, 08, 22, 37, 38, 92, 93. There may be more. If you use the Freestyle strips marketed for the human meter, in the AT2 meter, you stand at best a 14% chance of getting the most accurate reading possible. The readings will be in the ballpark but there will be more variance in play than is the case when using AT2 strips with the proper cat code for that particular batch of strips.

 

Hmmm, I wonder if I should return my new 2nd AlphaTrak 2 Meter when it comes in the mail. I got such a good deal on it though. The one I have now is 2 yrs old and I thought it would be great to have a backup. I got it for $89.42 with 100 strips and a starter kit.

I could get the Freestyle meter, but I thought it would be better to have 2 of the same meter so they would both take the same strips. Do you guys trust that using the Freestyle meter with Freestyle strips would be just as good as using the Alphatrak2 Meter with Alphatrak 2 strips? I am happy with the Alphatrak 2 meter I have now and how it works. I am not thrilled with the price of the strips, but I do trust in this product.

 

I was a diehard AT2 user myself (still like it the best) but eventually I bit the bullet and switched to the Freestyle Lite. The human meter will generally read lower over all with the difference between the human and pet meter getting progressively larger the higher the BG. I was happy with the meter but can tell you that it reads low in low range numbers. I found this out after getting a reading of 28 on the FS and 63 on the AT2 which was a far bigger difference than I had expected to find In that BG range.

I chose the FS lite meter because when I switched to the human meter, I planned to use the AT2 as my backup. Since the FS strips can be used in the AT2, although I don't recommend doing so knowing they are not as accurate as proper AT2 with the right code, it meant if my FS meter went AWOL or I needed to double check a reading and I happened to run out of AT2 strips, I could use the FS strips in a pinch.

 

So hard to decideeeeeeee! I like being accurate, but I also don't have a lot of money. And some other users on here taught me about the 400 strip bundles on ebay that you can get with the FreeStyle strips. If you can get a good bid on a bundle sometimes, you can get the price down to around .45 cents/strip.

I am going to be stopping at Walmart tomorrow. Maybe I can browse at the meters for the Freestyle again. These medical people who create these products and prices should be ashamed of themselves. The price of medical costs is just as bad for cats as it is for humans.

 

When you say that there is 14% chance of accuracy...Does this mean everyone just has to randomly pick one of the "07, 08, 22, 37, 38, 92, 93" codes (for the Freestyle strips) to try in the AlphaTrak2 meter and hope for the best?

 

You should live in Canada if you think strips are expensive there! AT2 strips cost us about $2 each and most human meter strips run around $80 for 100, again almost double your prices.
Check out the Freestyle website and see if they have a coupon for a free meter. They often do. You'll probably have to fill out a form but just fudge the info (don't say it's for a cat).

Short answer is yes. Best to just leave the meter on the code that came with your last AT2 strip vial. I suggest keeping a vial of AT2 strips handy for double checking should you get an off number or one that just doesn't seem to fit the picture. Some people have been finding code 38 worked well with the Insulinx strips they've been finding on sale.

The caveat to this is that the Insulinx strips are the Freestyle strips that were branded under another name for whatever reason. Here in Canada, you can't buy Insulinx strips......you buy Freestyle Lite strips if you use an Insulinx meter. I have a suspicion that the Insulinx strips folks are picking up right now at substantially reduced cost are the stock left over in the Insulinx packaging and when that supply dries up, the cost will go up and the only option will be the Freestyle at the regular cost. A member got her order for Insulinx strips the other day and they were Freestyle Lite packages. They probably sent the FS strips at the Insulinx reduced cost simply because they ran out of the Insulinx boxes when filling her order.

 

The price difference must be from the exchange rate in money. You are right though, that is so painful to have to pay so much! The vet that I go to in NY gets bundles of Lantus insulin from Canada and they only charge $88 / bottle as opposed to $270-$300 / bottle. I am very grateful that they do this!

Thank you for the advice on the meter. I was very excited as I did see they were giving out free meters on the Freestyle site. When I finished filling out the form they give you a card to redeem your free meter at the doctor's. Your Dr. has to write you a prescription for the test strips though. I don't go to the doctor's or have one. I'll browse at Walmart later today and sit and stew about what to do. I have that other AlphaTrak2 coming from the ADW Diabetes site...hmm, decisions, decisions...

 

Soooo true !!! Insulin is not the problem in Canada, it's the strips that are so expensive; the cheapest I could find was $75 for 100 at Walmart!! It adds up fast on a testing day !! I'm like you; AT2 meter and FS as a backup, but thinking of switching to FS as main meter for easier following of TR dosage! I'm a bit concerned though about accuracy of numbers with human meter.. I might run a weekly testing with both meters. I'll probably post today to see what others are doing or thinking about that.

 

Oh that would be interesting and helpful for a lot of people to see both meter readings side by side! It's too bad someone couldn't make these things more affordable for the average person.

 

Oh that is interesting. Here you can often get a free meter with the purchase of 100 strips and no Dr. Rx is needed. Our insulin costs are far lower than yours but we get nicked on the rest of the test supplies. It's not the $ exchange. Our supplies are more expensive even when our $ is at par or performing better than yours.

 

I did well over 1200 same drop of blood comparison tests and while it gives you a rough idea of the differences between the 2, it is far from exact because there is meter variance on both meters, the algorithms in the meters are different, different cat codes on the AT2 have different algorithms.....and the list goes on. If you are curious, my 2015 spreadsheet has both FS and AT sheets. At that point my girl was running higher numbers. I again did comparison when she started going into remission. The AT2 readings are in the comment section of my 2018 SS and start around June or July.

 

That's so interesting, how methodic and patient you are. So the lower your numbers, the harder it is to set the dosage! You never know how low it really is, so you always have to double check with 2nd meter ? Could show hypo and it's far from there, but it's better that way than the opposite ! Thanks for sharing

 

Just my 2 cents worth, since both dosing methods were created using human meters I would opt for the freestyle lite as my regular meter. Keep your old AT2 as a back up for when/if you run out of strips or if vet wants you to run a curve, or if you break your regular meter (George dunked his meter in his fountain one time)

FWIW I have two human meters, freestyle lite is my back up meter, and although it reads a little lower than my regular meter at low numbers (about 10 pts)(didn a side by side comparison) it wasn't a dramatic difference to my regular meter. But I do think it measures quite a bit lower in the higher ranges than my regular meter, mind you the latter is a suspicion I never run a side by side comparison.

 

I'm doing a comparison between the AT2 and the human Diathrive monitor. I've resisted switching but the price of strips is forcing serious consideration. So far, they are predictably close, with the human meter running about 15% lower. If that trend continues I'll switch to Diathrive with spot checks on the AT2. Our scores are still pretty high, so the real test will be at lower nunbers. I'll be happy to share data when I get enough to be meaningful if anyone is interested.

 

Not sure what you mean by it being harder to set the dosage at lower numbers.
I didn't double check every green number I got with the AT2 because I wasn't worried about my human meter readings. I did so out of curiosity of what lower and remission numbers would look like on both the human and AT2 meter. Strictly a curious mind. Yes the human meter could read low and suggest more action was needed than indicated on the AT2 meter in low range but as you say, I'd rather overreact to a low than under react!

 

@Molly and Sammy I'm definitely interested in any comparisons you get. I find the whole subject fascinating!

 

That could be interesting, but I wonder if that meter is available in Canada; I'll have to check, but I'm interested if you want to share !

 

I meant that if numbers are really low but not hypo, one can reduce dosage without needing to!

and as you said, this is a fascinating subject, full of surprises; the more we dig, the more we have to dig !

 

I began with an AT meter and liked it but I hated paying $100 CAD for a vial of 50 strips. I got the Freestyle Lite free when I bought a box of 100 FS strips because I wanted to try them in my AT meter. I did that for a while but eventually moved over to using my Freestyle Lite meter full time. Like @MrWorfMen's Mom, I've seen that it reads lower even at low BGs so I take that into account when Teasel dives. It's a good meter though - reads quickly with a very tiny drop, no error messages to speak of, etc. I've made my peace with it.

 

Yes that could happen but no reading is ever going to be 100% accurate so no matter what meter you were using you could still run the same risk. And reducing too soon is far better than increasing too soon!

It looks like the Diathrive meter is only available in the US. There is an interesting video FB on the Diathrive page. A guy is testing himself with several different meters to do a comparison however he is not testing them all with the same drop of blood so that alone could account for some of the variances they show. The Diathrive is apparently using the new 15% meter variance allowance whereas some of the other meters use the old FDA guidelines of 20%. So many different parameters to consider when comparing one meter to another.

 

The Diathrive business model is a subscription plan, with a meter included with the first order. You can view the plans on diathrive.com. I tested the waters with a $29 starter kit from Amazon that included the meter and 100 strips. That test is encouraging, so I signed up for one of the plans. You can cancel, pause, or change plans any time. The meter is easy to use and the strips suck up the blood like woosh!!!

 

By the way, my tests have all been using the same drop of blood.

 

With Walmart having discontinued their Micro and Confirm meters in the US , I wonder if this Diathrive might be a another good inexpensive option for folks. What do the strips cost?

 

Depends on the plan you choose. I am testing a lot, so went for the 3 month @ $30 per month, 600 strips! So the cost is 0.15 per strip. Once I get him regulated I can switch to a cheaper plan with less strips. Also if I don't need more in 90 days I can pause the shipment until I do. The website explains it well. I am no expert so am not recommending, just reporting on my experiment. I will continue to compare to AT,, just got 100 insulinx strips for that to have on hand.

 

Sounds like the Diathrive might be a viable option since I understand that strips for the Micro and Confirm have to be ordered online now anyway and pricing certainly sounds good to me.

 

I just went to Walmart tonight! I opted for a meter called "ReliOn". I got the red one called PRIME. The cost of the meter was only $9 and I bought 50 strips for $9 also. Not a bad deal compared to what I just spent on another AlphaTrak2 with 125 strips. I think i will cancel the second AlphaTrak2 meter coming. I don't think I can afford to keep up with the AlphaTrak costs. I have some FreeStyle Insulinx strips coming in the mail. I will give those a try.

I ran a test on my cat Lily tonight.

The AlphaTrak 2 was 68
The ReliOn was 53

Wow you have tested so much!!! Thank you for sharing! How do you convert numbers on the meter reading 22.4 and 19.2? I see the color codes, but I don't understand what it means on people's spreadsheets when the readings are not in the 50s, 100s, 200s?

 

We use international scale for BG ,mmol instead of the mg used in the US. ....Take my strange looking number and multiply by 18 or take a US number and divide by 18 to get my numbers.

 

Yes, that makes wayyyyy more sense now! It is not strange anymore. lol

 

As usual we are seeing increasing prices on diabetic supplies - for the test strips. Here is my experience
$38 / 100 strips InsulinX - November 2018
$45 / 100 strips InsulinX - February 2019 (same vendor)

So I have just gone back to ebay for this stuff. Freestyle Lite and Insulinx give me nearly the same results as Alphatrak strips.

This is just profiteering from either the manufacturer or the resellers. I bet the actual manufacturing cost is $0.01/strip or even less, since these are produced in very high volumes.

 

I'm from Quebec, Canada and I needed some FSLite strips today: here the cheapest is $75. + $11. sales tax: $86.00 and they go fast when you test! It's not the insulin that's expensive, it's the strips! I wouldn't be surprised with manufacturing costs of $0.01/strip; they know we can't go without it, it's very frustrating!! BTW my Ti-Mousse has the same eyes as your little cute Leo!

 

Some pics of Leo from the past 2 weeks in his recent thread here
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/2-7-2019-leoberry-status.210482/

Can you order strips from the U.S.?

 

Good idea, that's something I'll have to look at! But the most important thing right now is seeing your post for little Leo Beautiful pics and seeing those 2 little guys together is so sweet. I'm glad to see that he's eating better!

 

@Ti-Mousse You might want to check out the tax laws in Quebec. It is very unusual for necessary medical supplies to be taxable at the consumer end. I could be wrong or misinterpreting but I found the attached pamphlet about taxes and on page 10 it suggests glucometer strips and ketone sticks are not taxable.

 

Thank you so much; a good reading for today. I had to fight to get insulin without a prescription; I did about 8 places who refused to sell it to me !! Now I'll have to fight not to pay tax which they charged me on insulin, lancets and strips! They won't like me ..

 

Did you by any chance tell them the insulin etc was for your cat? If so that might have something to do with it. Here in Ontario, pet medical supplies are taxable whereas human ones aren't. Your tax laws there may be the same regarding pet medical supplies.

 

No, I told them it was for me, but as I didn't have a prescription he had to charge me tax; that's what he told me. I didn't argue as he was the only one willing to sell me some after a half hour of questions and warnings ! At least, with my 5 cartridges I won't have to buy insulin for a while! I think it's the same in Quebec with pet medical supplies being taxable.

 

You need a prescription for glucometers/strips/lancets etc.? In Ontario, no script is needed for insulin or any diabetic supplies.

 

No we don't, but pharmacists either don't know or don't care! Here they want to control everything; even to buy lancets/strips/syringes, not all but many of them will request to open a folder on you (name, address, phone)! One told me: "I'm not comfortable selling you insulin without a script, so I'm not!" ...

 

If you don't need a script and they refuse to give you what you need, I would simply suggest to them that you are prepared to make a complaint to the College of Pharmacists and the health dept. in the government. It might make them think twice about trying to "police" your access. I had pharmacists ask me for information for insurance purposes and have told them directly the insulin was for my cat without any issue other than perhaps a bit of a laugh.

 

Good advice, they might change their minds if I mention a complaint to the College! BTW your pamphlet on Quebec tax was very interesting and I interprete it like you and should not have been charged tax. I'll know for next time. Thanks for all this and have a very nice day!